I’m not sure the reason behind this next one. Def Leppard has numerous greatest hits album, but for some strange reason, it was believed the world needed a new one. What we have is simply called ‘Greatest Hits’ and is on vinyl only and Exclusive to Walmart on a rather cool Orange & Yellow vinyl. It was released on Friday, August 29th (I believe) and I got it on that Saturday when I got bored and figured, why not take a drive to Walmart and pick this up. You see, I refuse to order from Walmart.com because my account with the store was hacked and someone bought over $600 worth of stuff…which I was able to dispute and get resolved since I received nothing from this screw up by Walmart!!
Anyway…sorry…went off on a tangent there. Back to this release. This is simply a money grab, pure and simple. And of course they grabbed my money since I collect anything Def Leppard…I know…it is a sickness. But what is great about this release is really NOTHING!! Well, the colored vinyl is cool, but that is it. The packaging is rather plan with an all black background with the Def Leppard logo and in very small print ‘Greatest Hits’. The track listing is SAD…really sad. We have five from ‘Hysteria’, three from ‘Pyromania’, one from ‘High ‘n’ Dry’ and one from ‘Vault’. That is it! 10 tracks that we have a MILLION FREAKING TIMES on other greatest hits compilations. And no insert! Nothing new, nothing special, nothing to run out and grab unless you are a fool like me.
SIDE 1:
It all starts with probably the biggest song of their career. “Pour Some Sugar on Me” which was the third single in the UK, but the fourth in the States. And it was do or die time for the band. The album had been a hit and sold over 3 million copies before this song came on, but the album cost so much to make, that the band still hadn’t broken even. They need to sell way more. They recorded a video with live footage for the song and when it hit MTV, the album started skyrocketing up the charts and selling millions of records. The song never made it to #1 as it peaked at #2 as Richard Marx’s song “Hold On To The Night” kept it from the top of the charts.
Yes, the song is about sex, but it is it the energy of the song that make this one so good. The opening line on the album was “Step inside, walk this way, you and me babe, hey hey!” while the single version opened with “Love is a like a Bomb”, but this is the album version here. That riff and drum beat with a chorus of what sounds like “heh’s” come thundering in and then Joe goes in to that first verse in almost a rap like style as he spits out line by line. The chorus though is the real driving force as it is so contagious. It is anthemic, fist raising, arm pumping and just what they hell do they mean with those lyrics. No one cared as it all sounded so good. There is a little instrumental break then more semi-rapping before more of that chorus. The people loved and live the crowd devoured it. It has become the band’s most recognizable song and a favorite of millions.
Next is “Hysteria” which was the third single in the U.S. and the fourth in the UK. It was released in the U.S. in January 1988 and the UK in November 1987. The song went to #10 on the Billboard Charts and no surprise as it was crafted to be a hit. Mutt Lange basically built this song one note at time. The guitars are so crisp and clean and if I’m not mistaken I read they layered at least 11 levels of guitar parts which would be impossible to play live so they only focus on the two most important parts…the ones you can hear clearly.
The layers of vocals on the chorus are so lush and tasty you are surrounded by vocals. The solo is another that is so perfect for the sonics of the song. They are tender and sweet and damn near perfect. A song about spiritual enlightenment is matched by the musicality of the instruments. It feels like you are floating through the universe. A ballad that is unlike any other ballad at the time. The most mature sounding song that to me sees the band’s songwriting hit another level. This, my friends, is the BEST song on the album.
Then with no mercy, we get “Photograph”. First…the song is NOT about Marilyn Monroe. The song is about an obsession with a woman and all you have of her is that photograph. The Marilyn Monroe part was added for the video to help tell the story. And it captures it perfectly. As the video shows that obsession going a little too far. The song was perfect in my book and the video was mesmerizing. The two together captured my attention like nothing ever had before and every time MTV showed, I turned up the volume! The song has such a melodic melody and the guitar solo and background vocals were all spot on thanks to Mutt Lange behind the boards. The guitar riff on the song that is played throughout is instantly recognizable. More heart pounding drums as Rick Allen was maturing in to an amazing drummer. Joe’s vocals had also matured and his tone was perfect for this style of music and he owned it.
One interesting fact, it was one of the last contributions to the band from Pete Willis. The second interesting fact, the keyboards are done by none other than “She Blinded Me With Science” Thomas Dolby. And apparently in the video, Joe Elliott does what might be the first flying spread eagle split on MTV. It was later outdone by David Lee Roth in Van Halen’s video for “Jump” (according to Songfacts.com). The song was the opening single for the album and went to #12 on the Top 40 and #1 on the US Mainstream Rock Chart.
“Love Bites” is the only Def Leppard song to reach #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Considering this was the fifth single off ‘Hysteria’ and with the success of “Pour Some Sugar on Me”, I was completely surprised by that fact (PSSOM did go to #2). The song was originally brought to the band by the legendary producer Robert John “Mutt” Lange. The song was a country song at the time and of course the band put their spin on it and turned it in to one of the great rock power ballads of the time. The title for the song actually came from another song that Leppard was working on and that song later became “I Wanna Be Your Hero” which was the B-Side for “Animal” in the US.
What I like about the song is that the guy is so in love with this person that he is actually going a little nuts. Hell, just touching her drives him crazy. But he isn’t sure she feels the same way. He keeps questioning her. Maybe it is really his own insecurities that are causing him to doubt the relationship. Or maybe she doesn’t love him and he really senses something missing.It is such a heartfelt, emotive song. The lyrics paint a great picture that you can visualize exactly what is going through the guys mind and you might have even experienced those feelings yourself. What I also loved about it is that it isn’t your typical ballad either. The overall sound was light years ahead of the typical ballad of the time. It was a much more mature sound and wasn’t as gimmicky as some ballads of the time. At the end of the song is the phrase…”Yes it does / It will be hell”…which is done in a little softer, darker and in a raspy tone. The rumor was always that the band was saying “Jesus of Nazareth, Go to Hell”. Of course, the band has denied said rumor and I have to say that I never heard that when listening to it.
The band’s debut single from ‘Hysteria’ for the in the rest of the world and the second single here in the States. “Animal” did much better than “Women” which had performed poorly on the charts. “Animal” went to #19 and cracked the Top 40. It was also the band’s first hit in their home country of the UK going to #6! Finally, they had UK success. I’ve read that the song was demoed back in 1984 by Rick Allen with drum parts on an acoustic drum kit prior to his accident. And that Phil had originally written the song, but either way the whole band gets the writing credit. None of the producers that worked on the album could do anything with it and then 2 1/2 years later, a flip switched and the song flowed.
This song was even more pop than you’d expect. It sounded like it could’ve come from INXS and was more in the realm of pop bands of that niche. The band has stated that they aren’t a metal band and this song would prove them correct. It is so catchy, has a great hook and is something you could easily fall in love with the minute you heard it. There has been nothing so far that would make you think this was the same band as their last three albums.
SIDE 2:
“Gunter Glieben Glauten Globen” kicks off side 2 with “Rock of Ages” (from ‘Pyromania), but no one knows what it means as it is just gibberish. Joe speaks the following lines “All right/I’ve got something to say/It’s better to burn out/Than to fade away”; which are a reference to Neil Young’s song “My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue)” and heck even Kurgen from Highlander quotes the lines. The song is a rock anthem with some wicked guitar work, some kick ass cowbell and you can never have enough cowbell. The lighting of the match and burning the place down is so ‘Pyromania’ as the title of the album comes from the song as well.
I also read that during the guitar solo, several vocal phrases were recorded backwards. When played forward, the phrases “Fuck the Russians” and “Brezhnev’s got herpes” can be heard. Who knows if true, but I like to think it is. The song was the second single from the album and went to #16 in the Top 40 and #1 on the Mainstream Rock track as well. But it is that opening line that everyone remembers the most. A song that owes a lot to Joan Jett’s “I Love Rock & Roll” as Joe credits that for the inspiration.
Next up is “When Love & Hate Collide” which was written by Joe Elliott and Rick Savage and was demoed back during ‘Adrenalize’, but lost out to “Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad”. The song ended up on the band’s first greatest hits compilation called ‘Vault: Def Leppard Greatest Hits 1980-1995’ and was the only one official single. It was released on on October 2, 1995 where is one of their highest charting songs in the UK for the band going to #2. In the US it didn’t crack the Top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100, but did make the Adult Top 40 going to #39…just barely making it.
The song had a slightly heavier production for that album rather then the stripped down version here. It was written while Steve Clark was in rehab and the guitar solo on the song is the last recorded guitar solo by Steve who died in 1991. It was in consideration for the ‘Slang’ album, but was finally decided it would be used for this compilation since it was “syrupy-sounding” according to Viv and exactly what the label wanted. And “syrupy-sounding” is pretty accurate. It is a power ballad exactly like you’d expect from the band. Emotive, slow and full on symphonic sounding. The fact this charted in the States at all is pretty amazing considering what was going on in the industry at the time.
This leads us in to the only song from ‘High & Dry’. “Bringin’ on the Heartbreak” would become the ballad all ballads are compared to for me. The song is dramatic, heartfelt and Joe’s vocals are perfectly suited with all the emotion needed to convey the lyrics. There is a sadness in the tone, the vocals and when the solo kicks in from Pete, it is transformative. The solo is quick, but pulls out the song’s feels and truly delivers. A powerful, emotional track that was what the band needed and MTV certainly liked it. When this version ends, it ends, no “Switch 625” bleeding from it.
Back to ‘Pyromania’ with “Foolin’”. A song about love and heartbreak inspired by a girl Joe had met while on tour in the U.S. He fell for her, but apparently she cheated on him…Bitch!! The song has an acoustic opening and sounds like another darker song. The song has elements similar to “Photograph” and I am sure that is by design. The chorus with their multi-layered harmonies are perfection and Mutt’s influence is all over this thing. One of those songs you never tire of hearing as it don’t get much better than this. This was the third single off the album and it went to #28 on the Top 40 and #9 on the Mainstream Rock Chart. The final Top 40 single from the album as the fourth single didn’t chart in the Top 100.
We are to the final track, “Armageddon It”, which was released in March of 1988 in the UK and in November 1988 in the U.S. where it went all the way to #3 in the U.S. That is 3 Top 5 songs on one album another that was Top 10. The song was a play on words as the song ask “Are You getting It” and the reply is “I’m a getting it” but said as “Armageddon It”. A song that was started in the early 1984 sessions for this album and completely re-written when Mutt got his hands on it.
The song has a T. Rex vibe to it with a cool, catchy riff that you can almost sing it. The song is a modern version of the whole glam scene from the 70’s. I always thought the song was a little cheesy and it is, but something works. Steve gets the solo and it is pretty tame, yet fits the song perfectly as he doesn’t play a solo to show off, it fits the songs. Very well done Steve.
And that is it. And honestly, I will probably never pull this out and play it. I only opened it to take pictures for this post and because I wanted to see what the Orange & Yellow vinyl looked like and it is the coolest thing of this set. Again…money grab, completely unnecessary, and don’t run out and get it. I mean get it if you want it, but don’t think you have to have this one. My Overall Score is a 1.0 out of 5.0 Stars simply for the colored vinyl.
THE DEF LEPPARD COLLECTION SERIES
- Def Leppard E.P. – 7″ Single (1979)
- First Strikes 1978-1979 (Bootleg CD)
- Girl – Sheer Greed (1980)
- On Through the Night (1980)
- When the Walls Came Tumbling Down (April 26 1980) (2020)
- High & Dry (1981)
- Too Many Jitterbugs – B-Sides And Rarities (2020)
- Raw – Early BBC Recordings (2020)
- Girl – Wasted Youth (1982)
- Pyromania (1983)
- “Photograph” 7″ Single (1983)
- “Too Late For Love” 12″ Single (1983)
- Live at the L.A. Forum 1983 (2018)
- Seattle, August 3, 1983 (Bootleg CD)
- Pyromania TV Collection (Bootleg DVD)
- Hysteria (1987)
- “Animal” 7″ Single (1987)
- “Women” 7″ Single (1987)
- “Pour Some Sugar on Me” 7″ Single (1987)
- “Hysteria” 7″ Single (1987)
- “Armageddon It” 7″ Single (1988)
- “Love Bites” 7″ Single (1988)
- “Rocket” 7″ Single (1989)
- Animal Instinct – The Def Leppard Story – Book Review (1987)
- Rarities – Volume One (2018)
- Live in Mountain View – August 17, 1988 (Bootleg DVD)
- Historia – DVD (1988)
- Live: In the Round, In Your Face (CD Video / DVD) (1989)
- Adrenalize (1992)
- “Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad” – Cassette Single (1992)
- “Tonight” CD Single (1993)
- Live Sheffield 1992 (Bootleg DVD)
- Retro Active (1993)
- Visualize DVD (1993)
- Hard Rock Café – Singapore, Malaysia October 26, 1995 (Bootleg DVD)
- Vault: Def Leppard Greatest Hits (1980-1995) (1995)
- “When Love & Hate Collide” – CD Promo Single (1995)
- Video Archive (1995)
- Slang (1996)
- Montreal: The Classic 1996 Broadcast (Bootleg CD)
- Live Bites: FM Broadcast (Bootleg CD)
- Live in Argentina 1997 (Bootleg DVD)
- Euphoria (1999)
- Rarities – Volume Two (2019)
- Rarities – Volume Three (2019)
- Tokyo 1999 (Bootleg CD)
- Cybernauts – Live (2000)
- Cybernauts – The Further Adventures of the Cybernauts (2001)
- X (2002)
- Hysteria: Classic Albums DVD (2002)
- Best of Def Leppard (2004)
- Rock of Ages: The Definitive Collection (2005)
- Yeah! (2006)
- Yeah! Bonus CD with Backstage Interviews (2006)
- Songs from the Sparkle Lounge (2008)
- Man Raze – Surreal (2008)
- B-Sides (2021)
- Yeah! II (2021)
- Yeah! Live (2021)
- CMT Crossroads – Taylor Swift & Def Leppard (2009)
- Down ‘N’ Outz -My ReGeneration (2010)
- Man Raze – PunkFunkRootsRock (2011)
- Down ‘N’ Outz -The Further Adventures of… (2014)
- Def Leppard (2015)
- Personal Jesus 7″ Single (2018)
- Down ‘N’ Outz -This is How We Roll (2019)
- Hits Vegas: Live at Planet Hollywood – Vinyl (2020)
- Hysteria: Live – Vinyl (2020)
- Def Leppard Acoustic In Vegas – 10″ Vinyl (2020)
- Down ‘N’ Outz – The Music Box E.P. (2020)
- Diamond Star Halos (2022)
- High & Dry – Picture Disc (RSD) (2022)
- Drastic Symphonies (2023)
- Drastic Symphonies – Picture Disc (2023)
- Definitely: The Official Story of Def Leppard (2023)
- The Albums Ranked Worst to First
- Def Leppard – ‘One Night Only: Live at The Leadmill’ (RSD) (2024)
- Pyromania – 40th Anniversary Edition Box Set (2024)
- “Just Like ’73” – 7″ Single (2024)
- Greatest Hits: Walmart Exclusive (2025)
PREVIOUSLY POSTED:
- The Def Leppard E.P. (1979/2017)
- Def Leppard: Interview Picture Disc (1982?)
- “Bringin’ On the Heartbreak” – 12″ Promo Single (1984)
- Live at the Top (Bootleg) (1987)
- “Pour Some Sugar on Me” – 5″ Shaped Picture Disc (1987)
- Hysteria U.S. Tour 1988 – Tour Book (1988)
- “Make Love Like a Man” – 12″ Single (1992)
- “Let’s Get Rocked” – 12″ Single (1992)
- Adrenalize: The 7 Day Weekend Tour (1992/1993)
- X: World Tour (2003)
- Mirrorball – Live & More (2011)
- Def Leppard: The Definitive Visual History – Book Review (2011)
- Viva! Hysteria (2013)
- And There Will Be A Next Time…Live from Detroit (2017)
- Hysteria: 30th Anniversary Box Set (2017)
- The Story So Far – The Best of (2018)
- The Collection, Volume 1 (2018)
- Hysteria: The Singles Box Set (2018)
- Live at Abbey Road Studios (2018)
- Def Leppard: Concert Review – Charlotte, NC June 9th 2018 (2018)
- The Story So Far – The Best of Volume 2 (2019)
- The Collection, Volume 2 (2019)
- London to Vegas (2020)
- Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 29 March 2019 (2020)
- The Early Years ’79-’81 (2020)
- The Collection, Volume 3 (2021)
- Def Leppard Funko Pop!
